World Population PyramidsPopulation pyramids and indicators by country and year日本語

Japan vs United States of America: population pyramids in 1972

1972Swap

JapanUnited States of America

1.5%1%0.5%0%0.5%1%1.5%0102030405060708090100MaleFemale

Each bar is the share of the total population at that single year of age (men left, women right), so countries of different sizes can be compared.

Japan and United States of America compared

In 1972, Japan has a population of 108.6 million and the United States of America 211.7 million; the United States of America is about 1.9 times the size of Japan.

The share aged 65 and over is 7.3% in Japan and 9.8% in the United States of America, 2.5 points higher in the United States of America. The median age is 29.7 years in Japan and 27.9 years in the United States of America.

The total fertility rate is 2.11 in Japan and 2.06 in the United States of America, so only the United States of America is below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 73.3 years in Japan and 71.2 years in the United States of America.

By 2050, the population of Japan is projected to shrink by 3.3% and that of the United States of America to grow by 79.6% compared with 1972.

GDP per person is $36K in Japan (2025) and $90K in the United States of America (2025).

Key figures (1972)

JapanUnited States of America
Population108.6 million211.7 million
Aged 0–1423.3%27.7%
Aged 15–6469.4%62.4%
Aged 65+7.3%9.8%
Median age29.7 yrs27.9 yrs
Old-age dependency10.515.8
Total fertility rate2.112.06
Life expectancy73.3 yrs71.2 yrs
Population growth+1.22%+1.06%
Net migration (per year)-73,980+833,543
GDP$4.44T (2025)$30.8T (2025)
GDP per person$36K (2025)$90K (2025)
Unemployment2.5% (2025)4.2% (2025)

Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.

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